Review:'The Gatekeepers' 'Diary Of A Teenage Prophet'
- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Rock'
- Release Date: '17.4.28.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK 1228'
Our Rating:
Diary of A Teenage Prophet is the new, totally all over the place, post-apocalyptic Prog opera, by The Gatekeepers who apparently feature over 50 musicians who were corralled by main Gatekeeper Alex Wroten, whose collaborators on the third part of The Gatekeepers Trilogy include Cheer-Accident, Amy Denio, Henry Kaiser, Morgan Agren, Hugh Banton, Fernando Perdomo, Ward White, John Howard, Ron Geesin, Keith Smart. To have even half a chance of getting this album you will need to sit down and listen carefully for all 120 minutes of this double album. I take an odd liberty or two describing this album.
The album opens with High School Overture like the theme to a dank Horror film, lulling you into a sense of peaceful relaxation, before the world collapses from the current Dystopia into post rapture times. She's Just A Regular Teen writing her diaries in the 2020's, we exit the before times and enter the post dystopian apocalyptic Hegmalian rapture, she is totally cynical trying to be a valley girl but the times won't allow that.
AP Doomsday is a well odd tale of the coming Doomsday, that if this wasn't being reviewed while the US seems to be trying to bring Doomsday down on all of us might be less chilling, but this is totally horror movie scary, don't go down into the basement with anyone on this album, it won't end well.
The End Of Man is clattering storms of noise buzzing your brain, like a black metal doom opera soundtrack, to the Madness of Hegmania's meth amphetamine addled mind, enacting the only thing that turns him on, the rapture, can he be the god to bring about the second coming, on the other side of the slow tonal noises gnawing at his mind, drones invade.
Probably The After Life where Matching Mole is in control of the musical environment, even if juxtaposed with the awful reality of the new dawn breaking, a vista no one but the deranged could have wished for. The World Of The Future past the abrupt rupture, collapsing reality into healthy times in the best place you've been, a world free of predatory men, a utopia without war, violence and all the consequences of the weapons of Methdestruction, that can only be fought with the right frequency of prog guitars, distorting sending coded messages in the force of notes.
The Ancient Vagrant has odd keyboards and phased vocals. She's Awake finally returned to us from a deep coma, from the end of the before times, is the new dawn here, with the arrival of the Mecha Bondizon we must all bow down and fulfil her wishes, to save us from the Magadog Balkan terror Allbright, are these really the visions in a teenage diary in the 2020's.
Way Too Much Attention is paid to the brass band telling tales of future times of plenty, after the famine and destruction, golden times to come, before she vanishes just another apparition. Staying In The Shadows beware Hans Lundins spawn are lurking, taking you back to the realm of the Swedish gods.
For The Brown Book Told Me So is the excuse given for the descent into Hegmania, fulfilling the alternative prophesy of uncle Luther, father to the pilgrim apocalyptic visions that Hegmania is enamoured of, dreamy prog a distraction from the truth.
The Fundamentals a world where American banjos play forever, prouder than the proud boys to the mass distain of anyone else who still doesn't kow tow, thinking her harmless, but she is the Mecha Bondizon, oozing with serene brass spirituality, beware misunderstanding The fundamentals moving forwards.
Friday Night Rites have a prog hop rap for the rites and initiations into the cult, who will survive the opening of eternity and be written into the future chronicles, the post crystal meth brand new dawn, friendly soaked in whiskey shuffling beats trying to stop everything.
In Matt's Image your memory will be everywhere, more prolific than Trump statues and buildings, Matt's image will shine out for his work to save us all, from this world of hatred and despair, through his eternal wisdom.
She's Not A Regular Teen a slight return of the earlier song, she has found her calling and now advocates for finding ways of living sensibly and peacefully in this new world, that have her views tattooed on her, in opposition to the Hegmania scripts inked into the faithful, that she is completely opposed too.
The Messenger vs The Message is the eternal question most of us have, when we hear the verbal acrobatics that turn day into night and warmongers into peace campaigners, with fewer scruples than Mussolini's peace campaign, so who do you believe, the messenger with forked tongue, or the message that is counter to reality in this folk prog world, where gnomes may lurk beneath the floors.
To The Ocean is a multi-voiced chorale in praise of a more marine based life, away from the madness of humanities steep descent. Let Poseidon rise again bring on Waterworld. Beached sounds like they are bouncing a ball down that beach, violins sound like the tide ebbing and flowing, before someone spots Jaws circling just off the beach.
Everyone I Know Is Dead could currently be the words of many Iranians, whose families have been raptured by Hegmania's despicable unfathomable fury. Epilogue is a musical Coda for the credits to roll over. The Ancient Vagrant (CWNN Remix) adds some scratching and strings and lifts this tune into a different stratosphere. The album closes with Way Too Much Attention Alternate Timeline Mix a sparse acoustic treatise, on how little personal space is left in the future, will she be flattered or just vanish in the soothing sounds, echoing through four thousand years like the water organ of Aquincum come back to life.
Find out more at https://www.thinklikeakey.com/format/1881235-diary-of-a-teenage-prophet https://gatekeepers-official.bandcamp.com/album/diary-of-a-teenage-prophet
